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If you always wanted to write a novel but never quite found the time (aka motivation), you could do a lot worse than join the annual national novel writing competition at NaNoWriMo.
NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month - founded ten years ago by Chris Baty, is described as a seat of the pants approach to novel writing.
Here's the rather Faustian deal: you agree to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your writing chair for one month and turn out 50,000 words of prose towards a first draft novel. in return you get to eat junk food and be excused from the tasks mere mortals have to contend with each day such as hoovering, tidying and taking out the rubbish (ok, so I wouldn't actually condone the last one).
There are no real winners or losers here; you either finish or you don't and it's perhaps testimony to the real hard graft of the thing when you consider that there is a huge drop out rate each year. In the bigger scheme of novel writing one month doesn't seem that big a deal but as soon as you start out you realise that this is much more of a marathon than a sprint. 50,000 words in one month equates to more than 1000 words a day (okay, so I'm also a maths genius) and for me, that's a tall order. On my very best days I can just about manage 1500, but the thing to remember is that this is a cumulative thing; rather like counting calories, it's the number you arrive at at the end as opposed to the daily totals that count.
Whilst 50,000 words (basically a novella) is probably not going to gain you much truck in the publishing world (unless you're Ian McEwan) it's a great start to a longer work and a fantastic kick up the bum to getting your novel actually written.
Although it's described as a contest there are no real prizes (what did you expect: a medal?) If you do get to your 50,000 word total by the deadline of 30 November each year, however, you get a rather splendid certificate of achievement and a virtual badge of honour plus the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing you actually did it. And if you're serious about being a writer this is the only sort of reward you should be realistically aiming for at the beginning, anyway!
Word totals are verified by automated bots following submission after which time you also get the opportunity to upload your work to the site for feedback and comment from other readers, although I would say be realistic about how good the quality is going to be after a month and don't unknowingly put yourself out there for a public flogging too soon.
To date there are over 71,000 winners of NaNoWriMo, testament to its huge success. Last year alone 1,643,343,993 words were written by its participants. It also receives funding from quite a few relevant American sponsors including Writers Digest and Create Space who, along with the other supporters, offer considerable discounts off their products for NaNoWriMo participants.
Sign up anytime you want. The start date for this and every year's competition is November 1 and the deadline is midnight November 30.
No Plot No Problem, the companion book to the competition, written by its founder, is also available to buy, and whilst it probably won't teach you much about the actual craft of writing is a fun motivational aid to the process and a good read.
In addition the NaNoWriMo site is full of great stuff to keep you informed, including a members' forum area plus articles and interviews on writing, including how to take your novel to the next stage.
So get your pencils sharpened, your cupboard stocked with Pot Noodle, and get ready to write...
Will Self claims to never suffer from it, Henry Roth took sixty years to overcome his, whilst John Fowles's particular manifestation saw him living out the last twenty years of his life as a virtual recluse in Lyme Regis. Whether it be real or imagined, Writer's Block does seem to be a common experience. Even the great Philip Larkin was sometime forced to declare "I haven't given up poetry; poetry has given me up". (Larkin later recovered his muse by writing schoolgirl lesbian fiction..)
The reasons and causes behind it seem as varied as the people who suffer it. Fatigue, inappropriate planning or that ceaseless persuit of perfection that has you in the grip of its claw and sees whole days and weeks pass you by as you search for le mot juste. Right now I am sitting with a 400 page novel in front of me with only the faintest of notions how on earth it actually got here. Remember that scene in The Shining where Shelley Duvall comes across Jack Nicolson's manuscript (500 pages of the same bloody sentence)? That's kind of how I remember the process. I tend not to remember the days when the words flowed; I'm too fixated on the ones where they didn't. The days that gave meaning to dead ends, and black holes and I wonder what's on the telly. On one of the grimmest of days I even bought myself this but aside from being quite good to bite on it didn't do much for my problem.
So what is a writer to do when they just don't feel like themselves? Aside from Agatha Christie's advice, which was to eat apples in a bathtub, I hear, I would probably say just work through it. Go for a walk and then WRITE. There are only two rules to this method:
1) Don't show anyone, at least in the beginning.
2) Give yourself permission to write absolute shit (hence rule number one, above).
Somewhere in the maze of that crap, amongst the shopping lists and the painfully self-conscious thoughts that would make even a teenager cringe, you will hit upon what it was you were looking for. You will find a literary exit that will take you where you needed to go. It works. It's like the story of the kid in the stable: "with so much shit, there must be a pony".
Two other things that I routinely do which may or may not be of help are:
1) Quitting whilst I'm ahead. In practical terms this means finishing work for the evening whilst I've still got something to say. Sometimes I leave a page in mid-sentence, sometimes at the end of a chapter, but I always know what's coming after. That way, when I start the next day I can at least apply my hands to the keyboard and know that something is coming. It's a morale boost for your brain, if you like.
2) Listening to music or looking at images. Sometimes music says it better than words, sometimes pictures say it better than words. Let another medium take up your slack, be inspired by using more of your senses. This one is especially good if you're stuck right at the beginning, trying to harvest actual ideas. And because I'm nice like that, here are some I thought of already. Write on...
All images courtesy of FffoundTitle image: Edvard Munch, The Scream (1893)
Why are good British scriptwriting resources so scarce? I've been a subscriber to Scriptwriter magazine since its inception; read it, loved it and stashed it under the bed for future reference but the print version has now been withdrawn in favour of an online resource.
Rebranded as TwelvePoint.com you can now get your fix of news, views, interviews and fantastically informative articles 24/7. Now before you get too excited I should say that the site, like the magazine which preceded it, is a subscription service, BUT non-members can still access a wealth of what's on offer absolutely free...
Current subscription rates are #29 per annum and for this you get exclusive access to:
- TwelvePoint Buzz - a regular roundup of UK film and television industry news, together with opportunities for screenwriters.
- Contracts - advice on negotiating, including template option and deal memos.
- Ask the Expert - industry professionals answer your questions.
- Beginners' Guides - 'How to write a screenplay' and 'How to write a novel and have it published'.
- Calendar of events compiled by Robin Kelly.
- Links to dozens of useful screenwriting resources.
- The Forum - a discussion zone where you can network and trade knowledge, tips and banter.
- Scripts wanted - a new lead every week from InkTip.
- Weekly email newsletter - pointing out new information on the website and what's happening in the world of scriptwriting.
There's also the opportunity to upload your own writing projects for feedback from other members, start your own blog and loads more. For the cost equivalent of three or four paperbacks I reckon this is more than worth the price of admission.
Oh, and Twelve Point also has some very influential readers...
So said Billy Wilder when asked what the three most important elements of any film were. I can't disagree, although as a writer, I'm probably biased. However, it never fails to amaze me how many would be authors, screen or otherwise, don't actually read. It's a pretty important requirement when you think about it, and not just the good stuff, either. Infact it's often the worst writing that's given me the best education.
As a jumping off point, I wanted to mention some of the screenplays that a) inspired me to become a writer in the first place and b)remind me why it's worth the pretty appalling lifestyle trade-off in terms of pay, conditions and general lack of friends and social life.
Not surprisingly, most of these scripts became some of my all time favourite films. With their emphasis on character as plot and strong subtext they have informed and mirrored my writing preferences. I recommend that you head on over to the excellent Drew's Script-O-Rama RIGHT NOW and download some of these beauties. Most are available in final shooting script format but where earlier drafts of the script also exist I recommend that you study these, too, to see the evolution from draft to draft and to form your own opinions about whether the right editorial changes were made from earlier versions. Oh, and did I mention that Drew's also has a wealth of TV scripts too? Read them at your leisure, but DO read them.
The following list is in no order of preference...
- Memento – Screenplay by Christopher Nolan, based on the short story "Memento Mori" by Jonathan Nolan
- Harold and Maude - Written by Colin Higgins
- Adaptation - Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman, based on the book "The Orchid Thief" by Susan Orlean
- Raging Bull - Screenplay by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin, based on the book by Jake La Motta with Joseph Carter and Peter Savage
- Thelma and Louise - Written by Callie Khouri
- 12 Angry Men –Reginald Rose
- Dog Day Afternoon - Screenplay by Frank Pierson, based on a magazine article by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore
- Annie Hall –Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman
- All the President’s Men - Screenplay by William Goldman, based on the book by Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest - Screenplay by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman, based on the novel by Ken Kesey
- Taxi Driver - Written by Paul Schrader
- American Beauty - Written by Alan Ball
- The Usual Suspects - Written by Christopher McQuarrie
- The Sweet Smell of Success - Screenplay by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman, from a novelette by Ernest Lehman
- The Third Man - Screenplay by Graham Greene, story by Graham Greene, based on the short story by Graham Greene
- Fargo - Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
- Magnolia – Paul Thomas Anderson
- The Odd Couple – Neil Simon
- The Wizard of Oz - Screenplay by Noel Langley and Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf, adaptation by Noel Langley, based on the novel by L. Frank Baum
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, story by Charlie Kaufman & Michel Gondry & Pierre Bismuth
- To Kill A Mockingbird - Screenplay by Horton Foote, based on the novel by Harper Lee
- The Apartment - Written by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond
- The Graduate - Screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, based on the novel by Charles Webb
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Written by William Goldman
If you always wanted to write a novel but never quite found the time (aka motivation), you could do a lot worse than join the annual national novel writing competition at NaNoWriMo.
